This is perhaps the saddest book in the Series of Unfortunate Events. Even though all the books are tragic, this one gets to me the most because for just a few moments, the orphans had it so good. Uncle Monty is one of my favorite characters, and he's one of the few people who treat the Baudelaires well. The ending with the snakes gets me every time. ( )

I really enjoy this series so far. I still really like how the author incorporates new words into the story as well as the dialogue ... an excellent series for an advanced reader or someone reading at the age level this series is written for (which is information I'm not privy to).

I actually found this book far sadder than the 1st, which makes me wonder how the next book is going to turn out!!

Well, after doing a review for the first book, I don't think I have much to talk about this one, specially considering that the style remains the same. The only difference is that now the Baudelaire brothers will live with the herpetologist Dr. Montgomery, who seems to be the exact same opposite of Count Olaf. The good-willed man seems to have turned the children's lives into a bed of roses... until the mysterious apparition of his new assistant, Stephanio.

I didn't have any more fun with this book than I had with the previous one. It is easy to read, fast-paced and interesting, but only more of the same. ( )

I am currently rereading the series and forgotten how wonderfully written it is. The vocabulary, little author quirks he slips in, and well-rounded characters. I finished this in one day. I don't want to reach the end of the series! ( )

For Beatrice -- My love for you shall live forever. You, however, did not.

First words

The stretch of road that leads out of the city, past Hazy Harbor and into the town of Tedia, is perhaps the most unpleasant in the world.

Quotations

Last words

They stood together in the moonlight, and kept waving, even when Bruce shut the doors of the van, even as the van drove past the snake-shaped hedges and down the driveway to Lousy Lane, and even when it turned a corner and disappeared into the dark.

Wikipedia in English (5)

If you have picked up this book with the hope of finding a simple and cheery tale, I'm afraid you have picked up the wrong book altogether. The story may seem cheery at first, when the Baudelaire children spend time in the company of some interesting reptiles and a giddy uncle, but don't be fooled. If you know anything at all about the unlucky Baudelaire children, you already know that pleasant events lead down the same road to misery.

In fact, within the pages you now hold in your hands, the three siblings endure a car accident, a terrible odor, a deadly serpent, a long knife, a long brass reading lamp, and a reappearance of a person they'd hoped never to see again.

I am bound to record these tragic events, but you are free to put this book back on the shelf and seek something lighter.

The Reptile Room begins where Lemony Snicket's The Bad Beginning ends... on the road with the three orphaned Baudelaire children as they are whisked away from the evil Count Olaf to face "an unknown fate with some unknown relative." But who is this Dr. Montgomery, their late father's cousin's wife's brother? "Would Dr. Montgomery be a kind person? they wondered. Would he at least be better than Count Olaf? Could he possibly be worse?" He certainly is not worse, and in fact when the Baudelaire children discover that he makes coconut cream cakes, circles the globe looking for snakes to study, and even plans to take them with him on his scientific expedition to Peru, the kids can't believe their luck. And, if you have read the first book in this Series of Unfortunate Events, you won't believe their luck either. Despite the misadventures that befall these interesting, intelligent, resourceful orphans, you can trust that the engaging narrator will make their story--suspenseful and alarming as it is--a true delight. The Wide Window is next, and more are on their way. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson